Up the tower and the Moulin Rouge!

After breakfast, onto a coach for a tour of Paris. Turned out that today is a public holiday so very little traffic. A lot of people take the Friday off too and make it a long weekend - how very Aussie. The French call such a day, a bridge day. Shops may not be open on a public holiday here. If a shop is to open the staff must volunteer to work and will be paid double time. If there aren't enough staff, they don't open.
The tour was excellent with the most interesting commentary from our guide. We had tickets to the Eiffel Tower for 11.30, and being a tour group, we got fast tracked past the queues. Hard to describe what it's like to be somewhere like that.
The coach was to take us back to the hotel and then have free time. We elected to stay as there is a museum near the Tower - Musee du Quai Branly - which hosts a very large Australian section. The museum had a lovely cafe so we decided to have lunch before viewing the exhibition. One photo of the tower is taken from the cafe. We had to queue to get in - short staffed - in hot sun. This week has seen Summer arrive.
We said we were happy to share a table, so we lunched with two delightful Parisienne ladies, one of whom spoke fluent English. Whoever you speak with here, one thing comes across very strongly - they are passionate about Paris, France, their history, everything.
After lunch we did a quick look at the Aussie section then down to the River Seine for a one hour boat cruise. Paris and the Seine are famous for its bridges and the cruise went under 22. It's a great way to see a different angle on the many landmarks around Paris.
Because it's a public holiday, the banks of the river were crowded with people enjoying the lovely weather. One photo shows couples ballroom dancing by the river.
Evening saw us have dinner and show at the Moulin Rouge - spectacular!Read more